This invention relates generally to mobile search and, in particular, to returning responses to queries based on localizing tokens in the queries.
As the number of cell phones and other mobile devices has increased in the world, the number of search queries originating from mobile users has also similarly increased. Many users utilize mobile devices to search for information using popular search services such as GOOGLE™ and BING™. These services provide search results but often have drawbacks. First, such services may require mobile devices that support an Internet connection, while many mobile users are still using cell phones that only support voice and text messaging. Second, such services may require a user's device to run specific applications, or at the very least a web browser, while many users are still operating mobile hardware that does not support third party applications or web browsers. Third, many search services are oriented to providing search results for touch screen devices or devices with mouse controls, and as such often provide verbose results, such as multiple items in their responses, assuming that the user will be able to navigate through the responses and select from amongst them. In reality, many mobile users operate devices that cannot display large amounts of data, and which lack input means, such as touch screens or mouse controls, to easily select and navigate data. Finally, many search services depend upon location-sensing technologies, such as GPS, to determine the location that is relevant for a user's search query. However, many users operate devices that are not GPS enabled, and which do not have any location-sensing capability.
Thus there is a need for a search service that can provide accurate search results that are relevant to a user's current location, without requiring location-sensing technology or sophisticated input controls in the user's device.